> you (and likely gp) are using it as a synonym for majority/widespread
I was, yes, hence the “hive mind” reference.
> but ai feel its self evident that the most-voted comment had the most people agreeing with it.
Maybe, but you can only say that for that specific submission at the specific point in time you looked at it, it can’t be extrapolated to the “prevailing opinion on this site”. The time at which one looks at a thread makes all the difference. I’ve seen stories explode to the front page, then get flagged, then unflagged, the top comments being replaced with the previous opposite opinion.
I was, yes, hence the “hive mind” reference.
> but ai feel its self evident that the most-voted comment had the most people agreeing with it.
Maybe, but you can only say that for that specific submission at the specific point in time you looked at it, it can’t be extrapolated to the “prevailing opinion on this site”. The time at which one looks at a thread makes all the difference. I’ve seen stories explode to the front page, then get flagged, then unflagged, the top comments being replaced with the previous opposite opinion.